The Marketing Career Path Is Crumbling. What Comes Next?

The next career step is anything but obvious [View Message in Browser]( / [Add Us to Safe Sender List]( [CMI Logo]( WEEKLY NEWS 10.4.24 WEEKLY NEWS 10.4.24  [Together with Brightspot]  FEATURED [How TIAA’s CMO Rejuvenated the Century-Old B2B Brand With Award-Winning Content]( By Ann Gynn [How TIAA’s CMO Rejuvenated the Century-Old B2B Brand With Award-Winning Content]( What would you tackle next after serving as CEO of a successful e-commerce apparel company? If you’re Micky Onvural, you accept the challenge of repositioning a “stuffy” financial services brand as a thought leader for tomorrow. Here's the story of how she did it. [Read more](  READ OR LISTEN TO MORE OF THE WEEK'S BEST STORIES: [Is NotebookLM the New CliffsNotes? (The Answer May Surprise You)]( by Content Marketing Team Google’s relatively new NotebookLM harkens us back to CliffsNotes, the savior of students who didn’t read the book. But what’s the best use of this AI tool that can even create podcast-style summaries? Here are some thoughts. [5 Things Content Marketers Shouldn't Be Afraid of Doing]( by Alexandra Cote Do you avoid some content marketing tasks? Do you say you don’t have the time when you really do? Avoidance is often the response when you fear the unfamiliar or unknown. But it’s time to get uncomfortable and do these five things. [The Marketing Career Path Is Crumbling. What Comes Next?]( by Robert Rose Do you see a clear path for advancement at your company? Do your teammates and direct reports? If not, expect to lose your best talent. But you can help shape the modern marketing career ladder. Robert Rose explains. [ICYMI: How Much Should Your Content or Marketing Job Pay?]( by Stephanie Stahl Are marketers satisfied with their jobs? Is generative AI really taking over? What factors influence compensation? Get the answers here, then download CMI’s 2025 Career Outlook for Content and Marketing to explore content marketing salaries by seniority, location, and other factors.  A NOTE FROM ROBERT ROSE Is a career cliff looming? Is a career path in marketing even a thing anymore? As we approach [Content Marketing World 2024]( I’m struck by how much has changed in just 12 months. In my opening keynote talk last year, I proclaimed, “Content marketing is marketing.” It felt slightly provocative at the time. As it turns out, the entire marketing practice has evolved to embrace something familiar to those practicing content marketing: delivering value through trusted content-driven experiences. Independent of the paid, owned, and earned media approach, most marketing organizations focus more on creating trust than grabbing attention. To be clear, I don’t mean to suggest that classic direct marketing and advertising techniques are dead. Nothing is dead. I just mean that modern marketing techniques require teams that have assembled their operations like a media organization rather than as a trading desk, arbitraging attention, clicks, and search results. Add to that the weirdness of this year in marketing. There’s the [quiet recession in B2B marketing](. There are [challenges in the job market](. And AI continues to suck the oxygen out of every discussion of possible innovations. But as much as marketing seems to have changed, many things remain the same. For example, though many mistakenly believe that people stay in their jobs for shorter durations than they used to, the average job tenure has [remained about five years]( since the early 1980s. While more [tenure differences]( exist with age and gender, it’s a myth that young people have become drastically less loyal to working for the same company. [Gallup research]( found that only half of workers ages 25 to 40 strongly agreed they would be working at their company in a year, while 60% of older workers said the same. However, those numbers are too similar to be distinctive. After all, if 40% of one part of your workforce and 50% of another aren’t confident they’ll be there in a year, something else is at work. We found a similar tension in [CMI’s 2025 Career Outlook for Content and Marketing Professionals](. Overall, marketers are optimistic about their jobs and careers. More than three-quarters (76%) are somewhat or very satisfied in their marketing role. Even so, more than a third (35%) say they’re actively pursuing or highly interested in finding another job. That’s up 4 points from last year and 7 points from two years ago. What gives? The answer stems from the redefinition of “career management” in marketing and the corresponding lack of response from many businesses. Put simply: Organizations have evolved their marketing operations, but the related career paths are dead-end labyrinths. I explain more about why this is and why it needs to change in [Rose-Colored Glasses]( this week. I’m working to create career resources that reflect the reality of modern marketing organizations, so consider this column the beginning of the new marketing career path discussion, not the end. I’d love to hear what you think needs to change in the marketing career ladder. [Drop me a line anytime](mailto:robert@contentadvisory.net?subject=CMI%20content%20feedback%20—%20career%20path&elqTrackId=507BEE21BFDB50EC86B12450E0590980&elqak=8AF56507707B0BFF4740835EBDB79E727BEBF73834611537E600D0ECD43A83D53D67). In the meantime, remember: It’s your story. Tell it well. Robert Rose Chief Strategy Advisor Content Marketing Institute Robert Rose Chief Strategy Advisor Content Marketing Institute Would any of your colleagues or friends benefit from Robert's weekly updates? Please invite them to [subscribe]( here.  A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS [Map Your Strategic Path to Content Success]( Map Your Strategic Path to Content Success Navigating a complex content marketing landscape becomes easier when you have a strategically aligned roadmap to guide your efforts. Here’s what you need to build one. [Discover content strategy roadmap »](  [Join us at Opticon 2024 | San Antonio, TX or online]( Join Us at Opticon 2024 | San Antonio, TX, or Online Content is (still) king, but it looks a lot different today than in years past. At Opticon24, we'll look at how digital is evolving with engaging, dynamic content at its core. [Register now »](  MORE FROM CMI [⚠️ FOMO Alert ⚠️]( ⚠️ FOMO Alert ⚠️ The clock is ticking, and Content Marketing World is right around the corner! Don’t be the one hearing about all the epic moments after they happen. Get your pass now and make sure you’re part of the most important content and marketing event this year. Use promo code COMMUNITY100 to save $100 on your conference pass when you register today! [Register now »](  [Thursday: Content Marketing Ask Me Anything With Kim Moutsos]( Thursday: Content Marketing Ask Me Anything With Kim Moutsos Join CMI’s VP of Editorial, Kim Moutsos, for a virtual Q&A hosted by the Bay Area Content Marketing Meetup group. Kim will dive into insights from the newly released 2025 Career Outlook: Content and Marketing Professionals report, with Dennis Shiao kicking things off. Wondering how AI is impacting marketers or looking for tips to write for CMI? This is your chance to ask! Don't miss it — next Thursday, October 10, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. [Sign up here »]( [Download the Career Outlook »](  Was this email forwarded to you? Please [subscribe here.]( To change your email preferences or unsubscribe, visit our [preference center.]( Copyright © 2024 Informa Connect, All rights reserved Content Marketing Institute, an Informa Connect brand 605 3rd Ave | New York | NY 10158 [Terms of Service]( | [Privacy Statement]( [informa tech]